Drakengard: Prelude to the End
by Sil'Fer Telios
Summary: When the seals are destroyed, the world will end, or maybe its a new beginning... another world beside the one that already exists finally came in contact with it after the destruction of the Seal Eris bore.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: The Age of Drakengard…

"In every generation, there is a woman chosen to bear the Goddess Seal, which is what binds the world together. There are several seals which assist the Goddess Seal but according to myth and documents, the Goddess Seal is the most important.

Thirty-two years ago, there was a war between the Empire and the Union. The two powers battled for supremacy to gain custody of the chosen of that Goddess Furiae, who she and her brother were royalty to a small Union kingdom up until the Empire came along with black dragons and their parents were slain. Caim began to slip from grace, feeling rage and hatred towards everything that opposed his ideals.

In one particularly difficult battle for the Union, Caim was mortally wounded and saw the Imperial soldiers set fire to the castle where Furiae was to be guarded. He flung himself at the castle, barely alive, past the Imperial defenses and fought hard to protect his sister, Furiae. His efforts seemed for naught, as he felt himself slip away before he made it. When he reached the castle bailey, he saw a red dragon. Old wounds opened, the black dragons that killed his parents. He was tempted to end it here and there. But Imperial soldiers attacked the two. After Caim destroyed the interlopers, they proposed a plan for them to live through this. Passion overcame hatred and the two exchanged souls for mutual survival at the price of Caim's voice. The mute soldier was one with his steed, the mighty red dragon.

With the two of them fighting together they were nigh invincible, Caim's swordplay unparalleled in the Union while the red dragon was a mighty beast adept at scorching her foes with her blaze. The two fought against the Empire, fleeing with Inuart—a childhood friend and former betrothed of Furiae and Furiae, the Goddess. Inuart went missing after they sought out the hierarch, making a pact with a black dragon to gain the power to protect Furiae. He went mad and went to take Furiae for the Empire.

Caim and Inuart fought viciously, but Caim couldn't bring himself to kill Inuart. The black dragon tore at the red dragon's throat and was about to incinerate Caim until Inuart got his prize and the red dragon intervened. The broken dragon and Caim resolved to get Furiae back from the clutches of the Empire. Battles upon battles upon battles and the two came across three people, the heart-broken hermit, Leonard who paid the price of sight for a pact with a faerie; Arioch, an elven woman who went mad with the deaths of her children and paid her womb for a price with Undine and Salamander and Seere, a young boy who felt remorse because he was the mother's favorite and as a result, his twin sister was abused. He paid the price for a pact with the golem with his ability to age.

The Cult of Watchers, which was what was pulling the strings behind the Empire's actions was led by Manah—Seere's sister. Caim and his party cut their way to the auditorium to witness the death of Furiae. Caim was broken. Inuart was the same way. Maddened with the need to return his betrothed to life, he searched for what was called the Seeds of Resurrection to restore his love. Caim stopped Inuart by killing him. He then found Manah and killed her, but the world was with no seal… and they were all damned… until the red dragon offered to become the goddess. The hierarch performed the ceremony of sealing, which bound the seals to the red dragon. She told Caim her real name, Angelus… and when she was sealed… Caim shed his first tears…"

This is the story that was told to an order known as the Knights of the Seal, who became responsible for the life of the successor to the last goddess, Eris. The Goddess Venna, who was charged with the burden of the Goddess Seal seems to take this stoically. The Knights of the Seal have no more districts, instead protecting her with sheer force of arms and magic. The armies are trained personally by Nowe, a hero of a past war sixteen years ago while the mages are trained by Manah, another who helped save the world after inadvertedly almost causing its downfall.

The monster armies in the north have begun to move again, attacks to villages and cities under the Knights control becoming all the more frequent, and rumors of a group with unknown intent is rising… All that is known about the Order is that in areas where the Knights have no firm grip on the law, heaps of dead monsters have been found, yet at the same time, every ambassador the Knights send to this Order ends up destroyed or comes back maddened beyond all reasoning.

This land doesn't know true peace… The Knights are to protect the lands, and the Goddess… And for some reason, a third power exists that manages to be a friend and a foe to both of the other sides at the same time.

The agonizing memories of the wars that tore the land, turning it into a maelstrom of bloody rain flood back to us...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1, Verse 1- The Awakening

"Blood flows everywhere… it seems impossible to take but a step without dealing with the murderous shrieks of the attacking monsters or having to rout a unit of Knights that decide to intervene in our affairs. There is not rest for our order—our people—for we are to remain vigilant under the rule of our Lady Ariadne to ensure the survival of our already dwindling numbers.

For some reason I cannot help but get the feeling that we are all damned for following orders blindly, but I am a soldier. I am merely a unit that when combined with an army is what makes up a mass of our forces. I really do hate to do these things with no justification, but this is the only place my life and my survival are guaranteed…"

Sil'Fer Telios, Nightguard Sentinel

Sun finally smiled upon the District of Hallowed Water, where a former Knights of the Seal encampment remained, a small fort housing under a hundred soldiers of unknown forces stood. A sentinel was watching the gates, cloaked in ebon with a helmet and full-plate mail of matching hue, on his waist hung the scabbards for two sabers of virtually unmatched quality. He rested his left hand on his hip, tapping the base of the handle as he awaited his shift to be over. The floodgate opened, and another sentinel took his place, the newcomer bore a rather wicked looking halberd with an elongated spike and hook but otherwise it was the same. "Sil'Fer, are you going to be okay? The battle is finally coming to us from those damned monsters. I want some action around here, and you looked half-asleep during the last battle." One sentinel said to the one who was relieved of duty, who took off his helmet. He had dusky grey flesh and handsome features of a half-elf with crimson eyes and stark white hair. "Easy, Koail. We know not of what we're up against. The monsters have wizards, and I'm pretty sure the Knights of the Seal may attack us because we kicked their last ambassador's regiment's collective ass. I'd be pretty pissed too." The one named Sil'Fer shot back, tucking a white lock of hair behind his slightly tapered ears.

"I would too. Listen, Lady Ariadne asked me to take a few dozen people to raid the Closed Grounds in two days…" Koail began. "And you'd like me to come?" Sil'Fer finished, a cocky grin playing on his ebon lips. Koail nodded. Sil'Fer nodded in agreement. "We're competing for kills again?" Koail asked. Sil'Fer nodded silently. "All right… loser pays for drinks when we come home to celebrate?" Sil'Fer suggested. Koail put out a hand. "You're on." Koail laughed as Sil'Fer smiled smugly before shaking his friend's hand. "Hey, Sil'Fer, I left the money from our last bet in the safe in our barrack. It's in mine, you know the combination, right?" Sil'Fer nodded. "Hey, Koail! Meet me at the usual table at lunch!" Sil'Fer called before heading through the floodgates with the intent to get some much needed rest.

The young half-blood walked easily with his helmet tucked under his left arm, his hair constantly being blown back in his face from the winds that seemed to always be in abundance around this area. He reached the barracks and hesitantly opened the door, closing it slowly and ambled towards his group's room. Each barrack comfortably held four soldiers and included a bed for each, a drawer for each, a safe for each and a small closet space for each, which usually held weapons and armor that they didn't want to let leave their sight. Sil'Fer's barracks held himself, a full black elf, Koail; a silver elf woman named Lua and a human male named William Blake. William was sitting upright on his bed, reading a book, long auburn locks going over an eden headband and fair skin while covering his eyes from that angle, but Sil'Fer knew they were about as blue as his headband. He was dressed in cotton pajamas that had a white top and blue bottom and Sil'Fer noted that William was barefoot. Lua lay asleep on the bed directly across from Sil'Fer's. She had a very pretty face, pale skin with silver hair and blue tipped ears. Her lips were the same hue of her eyes, indigo her build wasn't bad for an elf, either. William waved absently at Sil'Fer.

"You got invited to the raid?" William asked. "Yeah, why?" Sil'Fer asked. "Because you're paying for my drinks, Lua's drinks and Koail's." The human said smugly, looking up from the books with a sly grin crossing his face. "You're in on it, too?" Sil'Fer asked, honestly not surprised as he walked across the room easily and began removing several articles of armor, fumbling with the clasps on his chest plate. "Um, Blake… little help?" Sil'Fer asked. William nodded and put his book down on his bed, walking up to Sil'Fer and getting behind him. "Try removing the cape, dumbass. It's easier to get to the clasps when it's not in the way." Blake suggested, removing the cape and tabard and unclasping the armor. "It's done." Blake sighed before going back to his books. "Thanks." Sil'Fer responded with a stretch and a yawn, removing his chest plate and placing his chest plate, greaves, gauntlet, cape and boots in his part of the closet. His absence of armor left him in a cerulean tunic with socks and trousers of the same color. He want to Koail's safe and worked the lock, taking out the entirety of the money and counting it up. "Seven thousand gold pieces. I knew he'd make good on it." Sil'Fer stated happily, placing his share in his pockets and putting the rest back in the safe. He put it back on Koail's drawer and rotated the dial so nobody could figure out what the last digit was. "Good night, Will." Sil'Fer said with a yawn before putting the money into his safe and locking it. "Good night, Sil." William responded. Sil'Fer hopped into bed and drifted off into sleep.

Sil'Fer awoke a little before noon. _Koail's shift was over for awhile… _Sil'Fer thought, sitting up and reaching for his "casual" outfit, which consisted of a _far_ lighter version of his regular armor, sans helmet and cape. It was useless against hammer blows, and the primitive, jagged weapons of the goblinoids tore through the thin armor like paper. He reached into his closet and pulled out a wide brimmed black hat that was heavily plumed with the feathers of a gryphon and it looked rather dashing on him. The half-elf placed the hat on his head and looked around the room. William and Lua were already gone to socialize, he could tell because their beds were made. He made his and tidied up his closet before setting out to the mess hall.

He headed towards the usual table, not even bothering to pick up lunch as he sat by his compatriots. They had a grid map out with several small figurines. "So this is our plan of attack?" Sil'Fer asked, noting the placement of monsters as well as humans. "Pathetic. We need to station more sentinels here…" Sil'Fer moved a bunch of archers and cavaliers towards the base of the cliff. Koail sighed, noting the position of the enemy. "We stationed those up there for the pincer." He put his finger on the map and drew a line showing the plan of attack through the mountains. "I see… but we still need our convoy protected." Sil'Fer stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "Which is why we're only using seventeen troops." William said, stationing his figurine towards the southernmost part of the map. "I'm going to be leading a cavalier and two archers up into these mountains… then once I'm ready, the archers will begin sniping the monsters and I'll slip in with the Cavalier to join the forces on the west cliffs." Sil'Fer moved his figurine to the northernmost portion of the map. "Then I'll take over here and cut through. One man can easily slip by unnoticed." Sil'Fer grinned. Lua said nothing to the others at the table; she knew her plan already and kept it quiet.

Koail sighed. "I'll take the unit with the convoy. Two cavaliers and four archers and Lua will get the remainder of units." Koail said finally, Lua smiled and nodded, getting up and going towards the counter to get some food. "Hey, did the scouts ever return?" Sil'Fer asked. "Keep this quiet…" William said in a hushed whisper. "But our 'raid' is actually to get the scouts back alive. They're in enemy territory and are waiting for a chance to escape. That's why we're attacking." Sil'Fer nodded silently. "…So we're on a rescue mission?" Koail asked in a low voice. William nodded. "Which is why I didn't object to Sil'Fer going solo. He's the most qualified here for the job." The blue adorned sentinel said with finality. The three stood quiet.

"Matthew and Victor will also be with us." Koail sighed. "You've got to be kidding me. Those two assholes from barrack twelve that keep breaking my swords?" William spat. Koail nodded. "Damn…" Sil'Fer muttered resignedly. "That's not fair. Why are we taking them?" Sil'Fer asked. "Because they're commanding the raid. I'm just a strategist." Koail sighed. The three all looked at each other. "…Listen… those two are going to suffer death by natural causes if they stand in my way, for a sword across the neck quite naturally ends one's life." William hissed. Sil'Fer was surprised by William's anger when he was usually so easygoing.

Koail put an elbow on the table, sighing heavily. "Meeting dismissed…" He muttered. "I'm going to go to inform them. William, when's your shift?" Koail asked. "Four minutes." William sighed, getting up. "I'm going to get changed and get to my post. Sil'Fer, are you going to be in later?" He asked. Sil'Fer shrugged. "I'm probably going to train… if I see you, I'll see you." William nodded and left to the barracks. Koail left and took a similar route. Sil'Fer sighed again before getting up and leaving the table. "Great… I officially hate my job." Lua sat down across from him with a plate of assorted foods. "I miss something?" She asked. Sil'Fer merely packed up the figurines and rolled up the map. "Just a bit of bad news." Sil'Fer muttered before he stormed off and went to the training halls.

Sil'Fer promptly fitted two scabbards with wooden sabers to his hips. He stood around idly for a moment before being challenged to a quick sparring match by a young man of roughly 19 with golden colored hair and green eyes with a powerful build and slightly tanned skin. "Matthew, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Sil'Fer asked, drawing his sabers in a quick snapping motion. His eyes narrowed. _This is going to be a perfect opportunity to humiliate the arrogant bastard._ Sil'Fer thought with a twisted smile. Matthew had already drawn a bastard sword. The battle had already begun. Matthew swung his sword downwards on Sil'Fer, who crossed his sabers and blocked, his knees nearly buckling from the sheer force of impact. Sil'Fer brought a boot up to the sabers and knocked the bastard sword up, Sil'Fer kept hacking away at the sword to weaken his opponent's guard. Matthew smacked Sil'Fer's sabers, knocking his left saber from his grasp, Sil'Fer spun and flicked his wrist up, smacking Matthew in the face. He flicked his wrist back and bent his elbow, lunging and striking Matthew again, right in the temple, then as Matthew fell his bastard sword came across Sil'Fer's stomach. Sil'Fer grimaced, but rolled with the hit and brought his sword down onto Matthew's head, taking his opponent down. "That felt good." Sil'Fer said bitterly, dropping both scabbards and leaving to the barracks to lie down. He saw Blake and Koail, both asleep. He went to his bed, stripped and lay down, closing his eyes.

He heard the door open, footsteps enter, the door close and the click of a light. He figured it was Lua and rolled over, pulling his sheets over his head. It felt odd to Sil'Fer, that all of them were asleep before sunset…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 1, Verse 2- The Pact-Beast

The next day rolled by uneventfully, Sil'Fer saw it as nothing more than a blur. He was too excited for the "raid." He was dispatched at sunset, he was to be packed and already off the grounds before actual nightfall. Sil'Fer was done packing before sunset and left at the first opportunity. He headed through the floodgate, cupping his hands over his mouth before he heard Lua call to him. "Hm…? Oh. Hi, Lua…" Sil'Fer said disappointedly because his task was being delayed. "Sil'Fer… don't… don't die on me, okay?" Lua asked. Sil'Fer shook his head. "I can't promise that… but I promise that I'll be careful." Lua smiled happily, throwing her arms around Sil'Fer. "Um… Lua…I need to…" Lua let go of Sil'Fer, blushing. "Okay, we'll see you when we're sent off." She said, waving. Sil'Fer waved right back, reaching the edge of the cliff. "Valira!" Sil'Fer called loudly. Sil'Fer undid his right gauntlet and stared at what looked like a another gauntlet of Mythril that started at the elbow with the pact-mark of Holy Dragon on it. His price was that arm, but he got a golemized arm put in it's place.

Fields under twilight, or rather the blurs of those fields were the only thing visible to the being—a Holy Dragon that heard its partner's call and came flying at breakneck speeds. Sil'Fer stood on the edge of the cliff and when he could hear the wing beats he dropped from the cliff and into the valley below. Suddenly he landed on a cushion of white scales. "It's been so long since you've called to me. I was actually beginning to think you'd forgotten our pact, child!" An adolescent female sounding voice came from the holy dragon. "I'd never forget you, Valira. If something were to happen to you, I couldn't forgive myself." Sil'Fer said to reconcile his pact-partner. "How old are you again, Valira?" Sil'Fer asked. "I'm just a wyrmling, child. I'm barely seven millennia old." Valira laughed. The Holy Dragon suddenly ascended sharply and turned directly around.

"Where are we heading?"

"Closed Lands."

And with that both partners took to the air to get to the Closed Lands. As they went higher above the mountains, Valira saw some entertainment, Knights of the Seal's air force. "I'm ready if you are, child." Sil'Fer grinned and chuckled. "Let's go, then!" The Holy Dragon blasted through the crowd, her wing beats taking them steadily through the cluster of ships as she spewed fireballs all over the place. Sil'Fer stood up on her back. "Drop me on that big one!" Sil'Fer suggested grinning wickedly, referring to their largest warship there. Valira chuckled. "All right, child. Let's see you do what you do best!" Sil'Fer's heart beat quickly as the anticipation began to set in. They finally reached the ship in a few seconds, Sil'Fer dove right off, whirling out his sabers in midair as he landed on the cushion that protected the actual balloon from dragon fire. Sil'Fer began hacking away at it, his sabers leaving several scores in the material before he finally punctured the shell. "Valira!" He called, leaping as high up as he could. His partner caught him on her back as the ship fell apart.

Suddenly Valira let out a burst of myriad lights, which tore through the remainder of the fleet. "How many times have we routed their forces in this area? Why I have half a mind to destroy the Grand Shrine for those Knights of the Seal fools." Sil'Fer sighed. "But… why are they our enemies?" He asked. "Because they hold too much faith in their gods... They're all too busy praying to the same god for the power to kill everyone else. It's because the humans are degenerate." Valira spat angrily. "I thank god that I'm only half-human…" Sil'Fer thought aloud. "Child! There are more of them coming, too many for my breath to handle. We will land here and stay close to the ground…" Valira suggested. "I'll go look around. Meet me at the Closed Grounds, where that cavernous complex is." Valira ordered. Sil'Fer nodded in silent agreement and watched Valira take wing. "…Valira… damn it…" Sil'Fer murmured.

Sil'Fer saw a lone bugbear, nothing to his skills he left it alone as he trekked across the mountainous area… That is, until he was attacked from behind. The club hit his left shoulder, and he hit the floor. The bugbear raised its club again, this time aiming for the young Sentinel's head. Sil'Fer rolled back and whirled both sabers from their hilts in an intimidating display; which unnerved the stupid creature for a moment. But the bugbear must have though Sil'Fer was all show, because it soon went after him again. It slammed its club down, and even if Sil'Fer blocked it would have shattered his finely made sabers. Instead, Sil'Fer ducked and rolled towards his left, coming up behind the bugbear and snapping both sabers up and into the base of the creature's neck, severing the spine in that perfectly placed shot. "…I would have let you live if you would have just gone home…" Sil'Fer said with some regret. "But you can't hear me, can you?" He asked, putting a hand on its corpse before giving it his last rites and kicking it off the ledge. He wiped the blood from his sabers with his cape and examined his shoulder pad. It was intact, but his shoulder throbbed underneath it. He'd have to deal with it; it was one of many wounds he'd suffered from with utmost stoicism.

Sil'Fer looked up at the dark skies. It seemed foreboding, ominous black, not even a single star shined. Raindrops fell lightly making splashing noises against the rocky terrain of the mountains and his adamantine armor. "God…" He muttered, sheathing his sabers and looking for the moon. He could barely see the moon's waxing crescent behind a black cloud. _The others will be in position soon… I have to get moving._ He let out a sigh and began to move at a hustle, his feet splashing in small puddles as rain fell more heavily. Lightning crashed into a tree, ripping it apart and making a makeshift bridge between gaps. Sil'Fer walked slowly across it, coming to the cavernous complex his dragon agreed to meet at. He ducked inside and heard a voice in his head, the telepathic bond between himself and Valira.

"Child, I have a message for you from Koail."

"A message? From Koail… he's here?"

"Yes. He says to beware the Imperials. They possess a reanimation of a man named Inuart."

"Oh no… we have to fight another with a pact?"

"Yes, child… You need to kill him before tomorrow."

Sil'Fer gasped, snapping his swords from their scabbards. He wasn't eager to get the job done, but he had to. He ran outside, leaping to a rocky ledge and sliding down it, seeking Inuart. He felt like he was being watched as he landed. He walked around for a few moments; suddenly he whirled around and raised his sabers in a cross to block a finely edged Mythril long sword from cleaving his head. "You're the cadaver? It's over, Inuart!" Sil'Fer could make out glowing red eyes and sleek red hair, the handsome features of a nobleman, but his eyes were empty, lifeless. Both combatants leapt backwards, a black dragon landing behind him. The undead dragon was partially rotting, half of the face horribly marred by the effects of undeath. Sil'Fer winced in disgust as Valira landed behind him. Both dragons roared, the black dragon's more of a shriek; which ended up making Sil'Fer's hair stand on end. Sil'Fer steeled himself and adapted an expert fighting stance as both dragons took wing.

Inuart slashed at Sil'Fer's shoulder. Sil'Fer, an agile combatant parried with both sabers, being knocked off balance from the force of the blow. Lightning flashed and Sil'Fer seemed to resemble Caim for a moment. Inuart let out a cry of rage and slashed quickly at Sil'Fer's side. Sil'Fer leapt backwards, bringing both sabers back and thrusting with both, only to be deflected by Inuart's long sword and kicked in the face. Sil'Fer reeled back, blood gushing from his lip from where the cheap shot landed. Both combatants locked swords and began to see exactly who would win the deadlock.

Valira flew in an upward spiral at the zombified black dragon, whipping it with her tail as the black dragon spewed flames, which hit Valira. There was a cry of pain and rage from the holy dragon, which came back down and bit the black dragon's neck with her merciless fangs. The black dragon twisted and broke free, launching Valira at the ground. She collided with the two human opponents, both of them being thrown on opposite sides of the dragon. Valira struggled to her feet and took wing again, this time firing her blazing inferno at the black dragon. The dragon seemed to be hit, but flew at her, shrieking again. Valira made a sharp ascent, flying as quickly as her wings could take her. She lowered her head and rammed the black dragon at mach speed as her horns sought flesh, ramming the black dragon to the ground.

The battle continued for Inuart and Sil'Fer. Sil'Fer spun and brought both sabers upwards towards the throat of Inuart. "Die, wretched mockery!" Sil'Fer roared in anger. Inuart parried the blows and tried to kick Sil'Fer again, only for Sil'Fer to reverse the momentum of his blades to hit the leg of Inuart. He seemed to feel not pain. "Caim! Why did you kill me!" Inuart asked Sil'Fer. "The hell are you babbling about! Caim's dead!" Sil'Fer spat, launching another attack, only for Inuart's long sword to rip into his chest. Sil'Fer staggered backwards, attempting to get his bearings. Inuart raised his sword for the final attack, but when he brought his blades down Sil'Fer parried with both sabers and thrust for Inuart's thigh. The black dragon got up, spewing fireballs at Sil'Fer and Inuart. Inuart rolled out of the way and Sil'Fer leapt back, still taking some of the blast. "…V…Val… Valira…" Sil'Fer moaned when the flames subsided, clutching his side with one hand and holding himself up using his saber as a crutch. Valira raked the dragon with her talons, only for it to fly away and when she directed her attention to Inuart, he was gone as well. "I'm sorry, Valira… I couldn't stop him…" Sil'Fer apologized, falling face-first onto the ground. His eyes saw nothing more than blurs. "Valira… Forgive me… I was too weak…" His eyes shut and it felt to him like that was the last time they'd shut. Raindrops fell on the still Nightguard and his draconic steed. The dragon lay down, stretching one wing over her partner to shield him from the elements.


End file.
